1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of this invention relate generally to audio systems, and more particularly to vehicle audio systems.
2. Description of Related Art
By way of general background, in the classic car market there is the need or desire to be able to install a new, high-fidelity car audio system without affecting the car's original equipment or vintage look. To date, classic car enthusiasts have been forced to either replace the car's original AM unit (“header”) with a new in-dash CD-AM/FM tuner or the like or mount such a new header unit somewhere else in or under the dashboard or perhaps in the glove box, in any case adversely affecting the vehicle's original look and/or equipment. Other known prior art attempts involve new stereo headers designed to look like a particular vehicle's original AM header unit, which is impractical considering the number and variety of such original radios across the spectrum of classic cars and other vehicles. This approach is also undesirable because it again involves removal of the original, vintage AM tuner.
The following art further defines the present state of this field:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,618 to Wenner discloses an apparatus including a main housing, with a first and second detachable speaker mounted thereto, each speaker includes a positive and common connection for selective association with an automotive speaker wiring harness. The apparatus includes a cavity for reception of a vehicular radio therewithin and selectively removable forward panels to receive an additional booster amplifier in an upper section and storage, wherein the storage includes an aligned series of “T” shaped recesses to selectively receive audio cassette members or compact disk plates selectively within each “T” shaped slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,468 to Beard discloses a combination speaker and amplifier unit having a speaker located on the front of a cabinet and speaker wire receptacles located in the back of the cabinet for providing speaker wire connections to a stereo unit. Also in the back of the cabinet is a power booster amplifier mounted thereon for amplifying the left and right stereo signals provided by the stereo unit. A power cable extends out the base of the power booster amplifier which is mounted to a cut-out section of the back of the cabinet so as to place the power booster amplifier within the cabinet. The power cable has a cigarette lighter adapter plug allowing the power booster amplifier to by powered by the power supplied to the cigarette lighter socket of an automobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,481 to Meitner discloses that installing a high quality audio source, such as a CD player, in an automobile often requires installation of a radio/tuner of sufficient quality to provide an audio signal corresponding to the quality of the audio source. In leased automobiles this presents a problem because of warranty and return conditions. The problem is solved by using a separate amplifier connected into the wiring between the factory installed radio/tuner and loudspeakers and sensing the setting of the radio/tuner control knobs by placing a defined modulated carrier on the antenna input of the radio/tuner. The output of the radio/tuner then provides a signal reflecting the setting of the control knobs. This signal is used to control the amplifier.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0120844 to Hamel discloses an audio storage and reproducing apparatus. The apparatus selectively operates in at least three different modes: as an addressable member of a computer network, as a portable audio player, and as an in-vehicle audio player. While in a computer network, the apparatus can function as a server for audio data files. While in the other modes of operation, the apparatus can serve as a personal audio player.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0185821 to Yuasa discloses when an automatic battery detector detects that the remaining capacity of a battery has become lower than a predetermined value, a central processing controller lengthens the continuous operation time by reducing power consumption. The central processing controller controls a radio communication device to switch the operation mode from class 2 to class 3. Class 2 provides a high output level, and class 3 provides a low output level. Alternatively or additionally, the central processing controller controls a D/A conversion amplifier circuit to turn off a Dolby system.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0198305 to Slutter et al. discloses a mobile radio receiver system for a vehicle providing recent segment replay function. The wireless receiver is adapted to be contained within the vehicle. A digital delay line is coupled to receive the output of the wireless receiver. A delay selection switch is coupled to the digital delay line to route the output of the wireless receiver with a selected temporal delay in response to actuation by a person riding in the vehicle. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, the recent transmitted segment ends at the time that the delay selection switch is actuated. A control device is associated with the wireless receiver for receiving control selections from the person riding in the vehicle. An amplifier is coupled to receive the routed output of the wireless receiver. An audio transducer thus is adapted to receive the output of the amplifier and provide an audible signal to the person riding in the vehicle.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0049002 to White et al. discloses an audio system and method. A system incorporating teachings of the White disclosure may include, for example, an electronic device having a display, a memory, an audio file player, and a housing component at least partially defining a cavity in which the memory and the audio file player are secured. In one embodiment, the electronic device may be a portable MP3 player. The system may also include a processor or playlist engine that can maintain a first playlist and a second playlist. In practice, the first playlist may include a selection of audio content having a corresponding audio file saved in the memory of the electronic device. In one embodiment, the system may also include an automobile having an automobile sound system that has a speaker and an in dash sound system component, which may be removably coupled to the electronic device via a cable. The in dash sound system component may have a selector, which may be, for example, a button, that allows a user to select the first playlist for outputting via the speaker. The cable interconnecting the electronic device and the in dash sound system component may be capable of providing power to the electronic device in addition to communicatively coupling the electronic device to the automobile sound system.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0261789 to Chen discloses an audio wireless transmission and receiving and amplifying system which includes an audio wireless transmission device and an audio receiving and amplifying device. The audio wireless transmission device aims to encode an analog audio signal to conform to Bluetooth wireless transmission standard for transmission. The audio receiving and amplifying device receives the audio signal conformed to the Bluetooth wireless transmission standard; the audio signal passes through an analog/digital power amplifier and is output. The provided system may be equipped with many different types of multimedia players to receive, record and broadcast multimedia audio signals in a wireless fashion.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0046778 to Hembree discloses a system for removably connecting and interfacing an electronic portable audio device with an otherwise substantially conventional vehicle audio system to facilitate listening to playback of electronic music files stored on the portable audio device. A docking connector for receiving the portable audio device is physically and operatively integrated into a shared housing with the vehicle audio system, and a single set of controls is provided for controlling operation of both the portable audio device and all conventional components of the vehicle audio system. A removable interface module allows for adapting the system for use with differently designed portable audio devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,062,238 to Glaza discloses a method and system for connecting an in-vehicle radio to a wireless device. A user selection input is provided to the in-vehicle radio. A local broadcast frequency is determined based on the user selection input. A broadcast request message including the local broadcast frequency is sent to the wireless device, and the radio is tuned to the local broadcast frequency.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0172780 to Krippgans discloses an audio system for use in a vehicle. The audio system comprises one or more loudspeakers of the vehicle and a receiver operating to receive digital data in first and second digital audio data formats. The first digital audio data format corresponds to a format used by a mobile audio device to wirelessly transmit digital audio stored on the mobile audio device. The second digital audio data format corresponds to a wireless audio data transmission format that differs from the first digital audio data format. The receiver may operate in multiple routing modes. In a first routing mode, the receiver responds to the receipt of digital data in the first digital audio data format by routing the digital data through the audio system for ultimate output as analog audio at the loudspeakers. The receiver operates in a second routing mode in response to receiving digital data in the second digital audio data format to route digital data in the second digital audio data format through the system for ultimate output as analog audio at the loudspeakers. The receiver may automatically switch between the first routing mode and the second routing mode based on whether digital data received by the receiver is in the first or second digital audio data format. Further, the audio system may be configured so that the second routing mode has priority over the first routing mode with respect to ultimate output at the loudspeakers. In one example, the first digital audio format is a Bluetooth audio format while the second digital audio format comprises a Bluetooth hands-free communications format.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0139878 to Giffin et al. discloses a vehicle media system for use in conjunction with a portable media device. The vehicle media system includes an input module that is mountable, for example, at a console between the driver's seat and front passenger seat of the vehicle cabin, so that it may be manipulated by a user pursuant to input of system commands. A display module is mountable at a different location within the vehicle cabin, such as on the dashboard. A main module is connected to cooperate with the display module and the input module to facilitate user interaction with the portable media device.
The prior art described above teaches an automotive radio support and conversion apparatus, a portable speaker and amplifier unit, a retrofitable CD player system, a digital music server and portable player, an electronic apparatus and system control method for the electronic apparatus, an onboard electronic system with user controlled temporal characteristics, an audio system and method, an audio wireless transmission and receiving and amplifying system, a system for listening to playback of music files by a portable audio device while in a vehicle, a radio frequency selection method and system for audio channel output, a vehicle audio system capable of playing wireless audio data received from a mobile audio player, and a vehicle media system, but does not teach a stand-alone audio system that can be installed in a vehicle without in any way affecting or utilizing the original or in-dash audio system head unit. Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following summary.